Photo a Day Challenge: June 29 – the Letter M

Losses and losing streaks and losing seasons dot my sporting timeline. I have the green and yellow field-day ribbons to prove it. Want to know where the fringe begins? I made a home there.

You can claim that, when you’re the last player to make it on the worst teams in their leagues. I lost and lost – until I didn’t. Appropriately, I didn’t step a foot on the field for my first championship.

I stood in disbelief as the seconds counted down for Elise’s first championship, too.

We led 3-0, and I couldn’t accept, even with seconds left, that finally … finally I’d have something to celebrate. “We did it, coach,” my assistant Tom said, seconds before the final whistle – yet, still several seconds after the celebration, I still didn’t believe it.

Elise chose the nickname – Mysteries FC – and I bought a Maryland cap on lids.com.

Mysteries ranks in the top 10% of nicknames in the history of the universe if you ask me. I flung my clipboard when I finally accepted my change of fortune and wound up on the bottom of a U8 scrum.

This hat took a ride, too – and I’m not even sure how it wound up back on my head.

Maryland… my home state! I know all too well about losing teams. I coached one soccer group of middle schoolers. Lost every game by no less than 3 goals and had a total of 3 goals for the season. But they were a happy bunch and would sing the whole way home from away games. I loved coaching those kids. It’s amazing how much fun a game can be when losing doesn’t matter.